It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Donald “Don” Radosevic of Southold on July 23, 2024. He was 92 years old.
Don was born in 1931 in Triadelphia, West Virginia, to Anna and John Radosevic. The son of a coal miner, he enlisted in the Air Force after graduating from high school, and was eventually stationed in Japan. As a staff sergeant, Don supervised the work of 15 airmen of the 548th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron, who were tasked with making the maps that guided pilots during the Korean War.
After his discharge from the Air Force, Don was recruited by one of his former officers to work for the Aeronautical Chart Plant in St. Louis. From there he went to work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — a role that took him to many rural communities throughout the Midwest to participate in various large-scale projects, including several flood control dams.
It was while he was on the job in Branson, Mo. in 1955, that he met Evelyne Visio. They married a year later, beginning a nearly 68-year-long relationship that brought them two children and loads of happy memories.
Don was eventually sent to the Corps’ district headquarters in Kansas City, where, despite never having received a college degree, he rose to be real estate chief. He retired from the Corps after 37 years of federal service in 1988, eventually moving to the couple’s second home: a cabin on Pomme de Terre Lake in Hermitage, Mo. After many wonderful years there, Don and Evelyne decided to relocate to the North Fork of Long Island to be closer to family.
Throughout his life, Don had a passion for the outdoors and was an avid fisherman and hunter. He also expressed his abundant creativity through a variety of hobbies that included intricate woodworking projects, painting, and numerous other crafts.
In addition to his beloved wife, Evelyne; Don is survived by his daughter, Julie (Vince) Townsend, of Durango, Colo.; son, Jim (A.J.), of Southold; and three grandchildren: Tripp (Laura) Townsend of San Francisco; Carson (John) of Dublin, Ireland; and Sage, of Portland, Ore. Donald is predeceased by his sister, Alberta, and brothers, John Jr. (Sonny), Robert, and Richard.
The family will receive friends on July 26 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport. In lieu of flowers, they ask that donations be made in Don’s name to the Convoy of Hope.
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